Being True!

This last week's lesson in the Life Book 2014 e-course was by Kelly Hoernig and she encouraged us to make a collage that incorporated at least three of our favourite things and was "true" to us.  

I haven't been making collages much at all over the last few years but I really enjoyed getting back into it and you can see my collage above.  I have so many favourite things - my stamps, keys, lovely colours, text and typography, butterflies, printed tissue papers and then I love paint splatters and dribbles and and ...you get the picture!

This e-course has really motivated me and I am enjoying it all immensely, including the semi-peripheral activity of buying new art supplies and tools!

Inner Artist Guardian Angel Painting

The first main lesson in the Life Book course (that I mentioned last post) was to paint our "inner artist guardian angel" - the guardian that will protect us from our self-criticism, our fears, our negative self-talk etc.  It was also a technique lesson in faces and mixed media backgrounds.  Backgrounds I love, but faces have never been something I have painted much.  In fact the only ones have been in classes at art retreats, in particular with Misty Mawn and DJ Pettit some years back.  They were great classes and I learnt a lot but I didn't do any more after the classes (which of course raises some questions about me I guess!)

Anyway in the spirit of openness that I am now trying to adopt, I had fun with the Life Book exercise and held off my inner critic from having too much impact! Of course I can I see lots of things I'd like to change in the painting (particularly the hair) but I am seeing these as lessons learnt rather than reasons to hide the painting!

And, as a footnote, one of the materials on the supply list for the course was Posca Pens.  (That is what I have used to write my word for 2014 around her throat.) How did I ever live without them??? So lovely and opaque and able to write on so many surfaces! I am now seriously in love with them and fortunately Jacksons sells them, so I don't even have to wait for them to be delivered as we have a store not too far away!  I had a blissful time catching up with my beautiful friend Susie yesterday (hello Jenny too!) and while I talked, I managed to get all of my new pens out of their pesky individual wrappings and to activate them!  A productive use of time given that I am spectacularly uncreative when there is good conversation happening!

Blogging Reflections (& a New Start!)

 

Well this is going to be interesting - it has been so long (nearly 2 years) since I last blogged that I am not even sure I remember some of the technicalities, let alone understand the changes!

So from blogging pretty solidly for a number of years I then dropped off to just a few posts over a couple of years.  The main reason was that my life changed dramatically with a relocation from Kalgoorlie to Perth, a new job, physical proximity to more family members & associated with all of this and of most relevance, I got less creative!  Less time, less interest & motivation...and then in time other big personal stuff, some fantastic and some terrible.

But I am starting a new chapter in my life and blogging seems to provide me with discipline and structure and amazing connections with like-minded people so it is time for a fresh start.  2014 is going to be a big adjustment year for me in many ways and I am counting on my creative outlets to provide a daily recognition of the abundance that is in my life and my continuing gratitude for each and every day no matter what they bring.

One of my rituals since moving from the edge of the desert (Kalgoorlie) to a coastal location (Perth) is to sit on the beach and watch the sun set on the last day of each year.  I reflect on the year and allow myself to anticipate the year ahead.  Sometimes the sunsets are amazingly beautiful and sometimes they are just sunsets!  This was the sunset at our local beach this year (and there were plenty of people, including the guy in my picture, who were hoping for a more dramatic photo).

And to celebrate and encourage my creativity, journaling and personal development I have enrolled in Tamara Laporte's Life Book 2014 - an e-course that runs all year.  This is apparently the third year that Tamara has run a Life Book course and I suggest you check it out here if you are evenly remotely interested.  It is extremely reasonably priced and also includes a lot of other well respected artist teachers from around the world.  Personally I feel as if I was meant to do it having come across it just a couple of weeks ago on the amazing Flora Bowley's blog.

The course started yesterday and we commenced with a warm-up exercise to encourage us to get over any blank page fears (something I thankfully haven't had too many problems with, being a doodler from way-back!).  This is my "quick and dirty" warm-up page at the top of this post. "Release" is my word for 2014 - if you aren't familiar with the "word for the year" concept read about it here!

So I am looking forward to my creative journey this year and blogging will be a big part of it.